Confessions
by Hope1986
Summary: Buffy uses a slayer mission into the Amazon as an excuse to get Faith alone so they can talk about their relationship, but will everything go as smoothly as planned? BF, Post Chosen
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **Omg hey look I'm still alive. Don't worry I haven't forgotten about my other fic for any of you who are reading it. I've just had chronic writers block, and I'm trying to reactivate the writing part of my brain by doing something different for a while.

**Stuff you should know before you read to avoid confusion: **Not much really, its post chosen, Buffy and Faith are based in Rome and Willow and Kennedy are in Brazil. Yeah.

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_**Prologue**_

Rain hissed down through the thick canopy of trees, heavy drops pinging loudly off branches and leaves as they wound their way towards the ground, where small streams were beginning to form in the leaf litter that covered the forest floor. In the darkness, illuminated by the dim glow of a camper lamp, a tarp could just be made out, stretched out and fastened haphazardly to the lower branches of several trees. The weight of steadily accumulating rain water caused it to dip heavily in the middle, nearly touching the occupants underneath. Two girls, a blonde and brunette lay curled close together, wrapped protectively in each others arms. Despite the roar of the rain and the inescapable dampness of the ground, both wore peaceful expressions, and as the blonde stirred and snuggled closer to the brunette, her lips twitched into a soft smile.

There was a creaking sound, followed by a wet snap as one of the branches the tarp had been tethered to broke, sending the shelter and a torrent of water crashing down on the sleeping pair.

"Crap! Jesus damn it… Crap!" The brunette fought her way out from under the tangled mess first, slipping a bit as she stood, shaking wet strands of hair out of her face. Still swearing she launched a kick at a nearby rock which went crashing into a tree, tearing away a large chunk of bark and wood.

"Faith a little help?" The blonde had emerged too and was now struggling with the remains of the rope and the edge of the tarp in an attempt to salvage their shelter.

The brunette stalked over, grabbing the rope from the blondes hands and fastening it tightly again, giving the branch an experimental tug before ducking back under cover. The blonde ducked under too a moment later, crouching gingerly in the large murky puddle of water that had formed. She was smiling. "There an upside to being lost in the god damn jungle that I missed B?" Faith asked darkly as she glared at the other slayer.

Buffy's smile widened. "You're just kinda cute when you're angry," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the roar of the rain against the tarp.

Faith's eyebrows rose. "Yunno a few years ago you didn't think that," she said. Without thinking she sat back, landing in the puddle of water with a splash. "Shit!"

Buffy chuckled as she reached out, gently pushing some soaked strands of hair out of the brunettes face before leaning forward and giving her a soft kiss on the lips. "Cute."

"B I swear if you say that again," Faith said, but her voice lacked malice. Unable to fight back a mischievous smile she gave Buffy a small shove, easily sending the squatting slayer falling backwards into the pool of muddy water. Smile widening at the look of mock rage on Buffy's face she leant forward, pulling the blonde into a deeper kiss.

The lamp, which had come to rest in the puddle of water sputtered, and died.

"Crap."

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_**Chapter 1**_

_**1 Week Ago…**_

"I'm telling you, its not here Wills," Buffy said, cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear as she flipped over a page of the book she was reading, eyes widening as the aged paper tore out of the crusty binding. Shoving it back she smoothed it nervously before gingerly turning another page.

"Are you sure?" Willow asked. "It's a Dosel demon. D-o-s-e-"

"I've checked three times I'm positive," Buffy sighed as she flicked the book shut, examining the cover thoughtfully. "Maybe I'm reading the wrong volume of _'Iter Itineris Insectus'_."

There was a pained pause on the end of the line. "That's a journal on insects Buff."

"Well they all look kind of demony," the Buffy defended, slumping down in her chair and eyeing the boxes of books stacked haphazardly around the tiny room in defeat. Since their arrival in Rome, books had been coming every day from Giles and the newly reformed watchers council as well as Willow and Kennedy, who were stationed in Brazil. Buffy had long since given up unpacking, since the unsteady glass bookshelves in the apartment were already brimming with old volumes. Finding anything was a nightmare.

"I'll email you a picture later," Willow said, before Buffy could start protesting about searching through the mass of books again. "It's just the usual scales and sliminess and fangs. They normally mind their own business and stay inside the rainforest, but this one's been venturing out into the local villages and might have killed some people. You know this is probably because of all the deforestation, its habitat is dwindling and its being—"

"Got it," Buffy cut the Willow babble short. "So it's in need of slayage?"

"Yep," Willow confirmed. "I think we need some more experienced slayers to track it down and kill it."

"What about Kennedy? And Vi's in Cleveland, which is a lot closer to you than Rome." The blonde reasoned.

"I was kinda thinking you and Faith could do it."

Buffy frowned as she recognized the familiar tone in Willow's voice. The redhead was plotting something. "Willow…"

"What?" Willow asked in her most innocent voice. "I just think it'd be good for you two to spend some quality time together. Alone."

The slayer cringed. She did not like where this was going. The knowing quality in Willow's voice spoke volumes on a subject she had been doing her best to ignore. Faith. Well not just Faith, her and Faith and the more than friendly feelings she had for the girl. The hostilities that had torn their friendship apart many years earlier were gone, scrunched and left in Sunnydale with the First. They'd been traveling together since then, finding newly activated potentials, partying and slaying. It was just like before everything had happened with Finch and the Mayor. Things we're good, she was the happiest she'd been in a long time, and she could credit most of that to Faith.

"Buffy?" The Wicca's slightly worried voice broke through the slayers thoughts.

"Why would I want to spend time alone with her?" The blonde asked, doing her best to feign confusion.

"You have feelings for her Buff," the redhead stated gently.

"I don't!" Buffy shot back defensively. A little too defensively. Quickly the slayer swung into damage control mode. "It's just the slayer connection Wills."

"So you have these same special connectiony feelings for all the new slayers?" Willow asked incredulously.

Buffy sighed and slumped against the desk, defeated. Willow was right. That buzzing, exhilarated feeling of attraction was something she only felt around Faith. For almost four years she'd been able to write off the feeling as a special slayer connection. Even though she felt nothing even close to that with Kendra, she'd still had herself fooled. Then Willow had cast that spell and every slayer in the world had been activated, and what had come along with it was the realization she only felt that way around Faith. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yeah," Willow said, and then quickly began to backpedal as Buffy let out horrified whimper. "I mean no! Totally unobvious, I only noticed because I'm your friend. Noticing these things is my job."

"Uh huh," Buffy said dully, her mind already swinging into panic mode as she began reviewing every conversation she'd ever had with Faith in her head. Is that why the brunette flirted with her so much? Because she was giving off the attracty 'come and get me' vibe? "Oh god."

Sensing discomfort Willow plunged into babble mode. "Hey its okay you know. I mean hey, totally down with the gay here. Not that I'm saying your gay, I mean I don't think love really stops to think about things like gender or-or undeadness for example."

"Love," Buffy echoed, eyes going wide.

"I-I mean like! Not love. Yes you like Faith a-and—"

Buffy stood up and began to pace, only half listening to Willow rattle on nervously in an attempt to reassure her. A knot began to form in her stomach as denial free realization began to set in. She liked Faith. Buffy Summers liked Faith. Faith of the female form and the get some get gone no relationships lifestyle.

"—She's totally your type too, leather wearing, sexy, mysterious, complete with super strength and a history of evil—"

"Willow!" Buffy exclaimed as she stopped pacing, finally realizing she was wrapped in the phone chord.

"Sorry," the Wicca said in a small voice.

"You know last time I checked Faith really liked boys," Buffy continued on as she half heartedly tried to disentangle herself from the spiraled chord.

"She's been with girls," the redhead reassured.

There was a clunk as the phone, connected to a tangled Buffy whizzed off the table and smacked into the ground. "She's been with girls!" The blonde exclaimed as she bent down, to grab at the phone set, nearly disconnecting the call in the process.

"I-Isn't this a good thing?" Willow asked cautiously.

The slayer took a deep breath, surprised by the jealously that had rushed over her. "She's never mentioned it to me," she said, trying not to sound hurt.

"Maybe she figured it wouldn't interest you. We had a long trip on the way back to Sunnydale from LA, we kinda bonded over girls a-and… going evil." Willow went quiet for a moment then changed the subject. "So, I think a slaying mission alone in the Amazon would be a perfect distraction free place for you guys to you know… talk."

"Yeah," Buffy said weakly. "Are you sure your okay with all this Wills?" She asked cautiously. The Wicca had never been the brunettes biggest fan.

"Definitely over the Faith loathing Buffy. Why would I be trying to se you guys up if I wasn't?" She pointed out lightly. "So, when are you going to ask her to go with you?"

_**Tbc?**_

Sorry, that was a bit of an introductory part, please stick with me! It'll start to get fun! Honest!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Authors Note: **_Thanks to all the awesome people read the last chapter, and special thanks to those who took the time to review! Hopefully you'll all enjoy this installment.

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Buffy stood awkwardly in the brightly lit hallway outside Faith's apartment. It was on the floor above hers and Dawn's, along with the apartments of several of the newer slayer's they'd found and recruited. The blonde slayer usually found the nearness of Faiths apartment convenient, but right now she was wishing it had been more than an elevator ride away. She'd dropped by a million times before, but today was different. She was asking Faith out. Well out on a Slayer mission anyway. After years of denial it was a big step. Taking a deep breath she hesitantly raised her hand to knock on the door before pulling back again at the last moment. She exhaled slowly, eyes tracing over the door for what felt like the thousandth time in the last few minutes. The gold apartment numbers that we're nailed to the woodwork seemed to be gazing at her challengingly, which was pretty impressive for a four and a one. Buffy found herself glaring back at them defiantly as she raised her hand again. This time she would–

"It's unlocked if you ever wanna come in," a distracted voice floated out of the room.

Flushing red Buffy took a deep breath and pushed open door. She was met with a rush of warm and slightly stale air along with the sounds of music and gunfire and the scent of fast food. Faith was sprawled on the large leather sofa in the center of the room, surrounded by a sea of fast food wrappers. Her hands were wrapped tightly around a black Playstation controller and she was wearing a look of deep concentration.

"Hey," the Buffy greeted as she stepped into the room, self consciously smoothing down the fabric of her shirt as she stared nervously at the brunette.

"B," Faith grunted in response, her dark eyes not leaving the large plasma TV screen where she was currently steering her character through a maze of streets on a motorbike.

Clearing a small space on the farthest edge of the couch Buffy gingerly took a seat. "Whatcha playin?" She asked after an agonizingly long pause.

"Grand Theft Auto."

"Ah." Another silence fell between the pair and Buffy began to fidget nervously, picking at the corner of a crumpled napkin as she tried to get her courage back. It wasn't like she was asking Faith on a date. It was more like a romantic getaway. No! No, it was a slaying mission. A slayer mission where she was going to tell Faith she liked her.

"There a point to this visit?" Faith asked suddenly, dragging Buffy from her thoughts.

"Well there's this demon—"

"Okay, let me finish this mission and I'll be right with ya." Faith leant forward, frowning intently as her fingers danced over the controller, weaving the virtual motorbike closer to a truck which was swerving in and out of traffic.

"In Brazil," Buffy finished.

"Huh?" The brunette tore her eyes away from the screen for a moment and gave Buffy a confused look.

"There's a demon in Brazil that needs slaying."

"Got that B, but aren't there some slayers over there who can do the job? Kennedy's there with Willow right?"

"No… well yes, but it's a strong demon, Willow said—" Buffy's babble was cut short by a loud curse from Faith. Buffy looked up to see the motorbike the brunette had been steering was now in flames. There was a loud explosion and the words 'mission failed' flashed mockingly up on the screen. The sound of cracking plastic caught Buffy's attention and she looked back at Faith to see the controller she'd been holding was now in two separate, crushed pieces. The brunette fixed her with a death stare. "Sorry," Buffy mumbled.

Faith let out a slow sigh and tossed the remnants of the controller onto the table before leaning forward and turning off the console.

"I can replace that," Buffy offered guiltily.

"Its Andrews," Faith said with a dismissive shrug as she flopped back down on the sofa, retrieving half a hamburger from its wrapper and picking at it idly. "So Brazil huh?"

"Yeah," Buffy said enthusiastically, thankful things were back on track. "You interested?"

Faith paused, chewing thoughtfully on her hamburger. "Sure."

"Great!" Buffy beamed. That had been easy. "We haven't been slaying in ages… well w-we have, I mean we go out almost every night… but this is like a mission, a nice change of pace which is of the good. Even Europe can get boring after a while, a-and Brazil sounds nice, Willow loves it, she says there's lots to see apart from demons, its the perfect place to slay a-and…" the slayer gulped and trailed off, silently wondering when exactly she'd turned into Willow.

Faith cocked her eyebrow but didn't comment. "So Red's just going to wiggle her nose and zap us there and back right?"

Buffy nervously averted her gaze. "Something like that."

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"This is as far as I can take you." Kennedy said as he steered the small boat towards the edge of the river. The now not-so-junior slayer had been a great help in rounding up new slayers in Brazil, and without her offer of transport Buffy and Faith would have faced several grueling hours of walking on top of an already long trip.

That was what Buffy had been constantly trying to remind herself of since she and Faith had set out on the slow humid boat ride.

Kennedy was obviously jaded about being passed over for what seemed like a fairly routine slaying expedition, the true motives of which had not been explained to her by Willow on Buffy's pleading request. The less experienced slayer had been sullen and snappy since they had set off that morning. About an hour ago, a mixture of jetlag and a particularly snide comment about prison showers had caused Faith's patience to finally snap, and the resulting altercation had nearly sunk the small boat. Buffy had interfered before a misplaced punch could ram a hole through the deck, and the pair had retreated to opposite sides of the craft, Kennedy hunched against the outboard motor and Faith sitting on the bow, whittling a piece of wood into something that now resembled a thin pencil. The blonde slayer was perched in the middle, balancing on the splintered remains of the only other seat, fervently wishing that Willow could have been there to mediate.

"Thanks Kennedy," Buffy said gratefully as the nose of the boat nudged gently against the muddy edge of the river. Standing unsteadily she hefted her bag onto her shoulder and climbed gingerly out of the riverboat, trying not to trip on the maze of roots that protruded haphazardly from the ground.

"Yeah thanks Ken," Faith said coolly as she too climbed off the boat, then turned and propped her foot lightly on the bow. "You might wanna put some ice on that shiner when you get back," she commented, smirking in satisfaction at the pronounced swelling across the newer slayers jaw. Kennedy muttered something inaudibly and Faith's smirk turned into a smug grin. "Nice seein you too," she said, giving the bow of the boat a rough shove, sending it sailing backwards into the river and causing Kennedy to lurch in her seat, nearly pitching her over the side.

"You shouldn't have hit her that hard," Buffy commented as she knelt on the ground, beginning to root through one of the outer pockets of her bag.

Faith ignored her comment as she stretched lazy, letting out a slow whistle as she stared at the dense forest in front of her. The trees stretched up impossibly high, and the available space between their thick trunks seemed to be crammed full of smaller plants and brush, all jostling for space. There was no sign of a path. "Wow B I hope Red gave you good directions."

"Nope," Buffy said, smiling up at Faith who was now staring at her incredulously. Pulling a small wooden box out of the front pocket of her bag she set it down and pushed it open gingerly. A soft ball of bright white light floated free, zipping around in tight circles for a second before hovering towards the looming forest, stopping just in front of the trees and flickering gently. "Witchy GPS," the blonde said triumphantly. "Willow said it would take us directly to the demon."

Faith nodded, reaching to the side of her pack and pulling a thick machete out of its cover. "Lets motorvate then, the sooner we find this thing the sooner we can get the hell outta here" she said as she started toward the ball of light, sending her blade slicing through the flick undergrowth nearest to it. "You coming B?"

"Yeah," Buffy said weakly, taking one last glance at the retreating riverboat before shouldering her bag and following after the other slayer, silently wondering what she'd gotten herself into.

_**Tbc?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Larger, Longer and Uncut – **Wow so you know when a part just seems to get worse the more you edit it? Well that was happening to me so I decided to surrender and post it now. Also holy crap my fic basically did a disappearing act last update, which was heart stoppingly scary so I placed it in the M section which seemed to make it materialize it again, and I'm too spooked to move it back into the T rating slot. So um yeah, hence the rating switch. It was probably destined to be in here anyway.

Oh and thanks to the peeps who reviewed the last chapter!

Anyway that's it!

Hmm theres totally something I'm forgetting… Oh right! The fic. Enjooooy!

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Insects buzzed loudly, almost drowning out the sound of the two slayers who were pushing and hacking their way through the dense undergrowth of the forest. The bright beacon of white light weaved lazily in front of them, casting eerie tendrils of light through the shadowy forest. The thick canopy of trees above blocked most of the sun, but that provided no relief from the dense, humid air which seemed to be an obstacle all on its own, pressing down hot and heavy on the rainforests uninvited guests.

An insect whirred past Buffy's face and she slapped at it, missing it completely and instead cuffing herself across the ear. Wincing she turned her attention back to Faith, who was clearing the trail in front of them. The brunettes hair was pulled back into a thick pony tail which cascaded down her back smoothly despite the humidity Buffy was sure was frizzing her own blond locks. Feeling slightly guilty but unable to stop herself the blonde felt her eyes drop lower, soaking in the gentle ripple of Faith's muscles and the inviting strip of soft skin that had revealed itself between her wife beater and pants, which—

Faith stopped.

Buffy froze.

Could the dark slayer feel her watching? The red flush of embarrassment started at her neckline and began to creep upwards. Sucking in a breath and holding it Buffy remained stock still, eyes remaining glued to the back of the girl in front of her.

The brunette tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear and then turned around to face the blonde. "We shoulda brought the mystical fire axe," she panted out, running her thumb across the dulled blade of her machete.

"Scythe," Buffy corrected absently as she dropped her gaze, scuffing at the ground with a dirt blackened sneaker. If Faith had noticed her wandering eyes she wasn't letting on, but that wasn't stopping the flush of embarrassment which she was sure had now reached the roots of her hair.

"Yeah that," Faith said slowly as she tilted her head to the side, eyeing Buffy with a slight frown on her face. "You okay B?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! I'm good. Buffy is of the good." She blurted earnestly, and then let out a squeak of surprise as something flew at. Slayer reflexes swinging into gear her hand snapped out and caught the offending object, which sloshed as it came to an abrupt stop in her hand.

"Drink something before you pass out," Faith said in an irritated voice that didn't quite match her eyes, which seemed to momentarily flicker with concern.

Buffy felt herself smile as she unscrewed the bottle and took a large chug of water. "Thanks," she said as she tossed it back, unsheathing her own machete and hacking through the tangle of thick vines that blocked their way. "This isn't that bad actually," she commented brightly.

"Not that bad?" Faith echoed incredulously. "The humidity is killin me B."

"But we're getting to see one of the most endangered habitats in the world," the blonde protested.

"The same habitat you're hacking to pieces?" Faith commented dryly.

Buffy whipped around, glaring at the other slayer before turning back again, sending her machete forcefully through a particularly thick tangle of vines. The feeling of the foliage falling away under the blade did nothing to calm her. This had been a bad idea. Faith was a city girl, and so was she. Not only we're they were on a camping trip of all things, they were in some of the roughest terrain in the world. What had made Willow think that throwing her so far out of her element would help her face her relationship with Faith? She couldn't even do that in the relative comfort of her home, let alone—

"Why'd you bring me here B?"

Buffy nearly lost her footing, not daring to look back at the brunette behind her. She could sense that Faith's question had been at least somewhat rhetorical, but she knew that she had to talk about things eventually. Maybe this was the time. Before panic could get the best of her she opened her mouth, beginning to babble. "Well I-I thought it would be a good way to get you alone—"

"Damn B you coulda done that at home," Faith shot back suggestively.

"That's not what I meant!" Buffy blurted, this time turning around, continuing to walk backwards slowly as she shyly avoided eye contact with Faith, who was smirking at her, enjoying watching the blonde squirm. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. This was nothing out of the ordinary. The brunette flirted with everyone. "I-I was thinking we could talk."

"About?" Faith purred.

"About," Buffy found herself imitating the brunette's Bostonian accent, flushing even more as Faith's eyebrows raised. "W-well I think I—"

"B!" Faith suddenly exclaimed

"Huh?" Buffy's brow crinkled in question as she took another step back, her eyes widening as she felt the earth beneath her give way. The next thing she knew she was tumbling downward, coming to rest in a heap of damp, sweet smelling leaf litter.

The sound of Faith clapping slowly echoed out across the forest above the squawking of birds, which had been disrupted by the commotion. A small whimper of embarrassment escaped Buffy's mouth as she clenched her eyes shut, listening to the rustling as the brunette slayer began her descent towards her resting place.

"I'd give that a nine point five B," Faith teased as she skidded down to where Buffy was still lying, sending leaves and bits of bark pelting into her face. "The landing was a bit shaky but the barrel rolls were… Oh Jesus B that's gotta be wicked painful."

Frowning Buffy forced her eyes open, pushing the sting of humiliation aside long enough to notice the burning pain in her ankle. Looking down she winced as she saw her foot, which was twisted at an awkward angle between a tree and some rocks. "Ow," she said as she sat up slowly, gingerly freeing her leg. Before she could attempt to stand she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.

"Here, let me help you," Faith said as she carefully helped Buffy to her feet, before starting back up the embankment she had fallen down.

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"Thank god this isn't a steep, slippery hill B, or this would be really difficult." Faith bit out sarcastically. She was in fact struggling her way up a mud slicked and almost vertical slope. Buffy was perched on her back and their packs were being dragged across the ground by the straps, which she held in either hand. It was an arrangement that had been made after about half an hour of slow hobbling on Buffy's part. After the damp branch she'd been using as a crutch had snapped, nearly sending her on another embarrassing slide down a slope, it had seemed like the easiest option. That was of course before the terrain had taken a decidedly uphill turn.

"You're getting mud all over my bag," Buffy commented as she glanced sadly at her new pack, which was now sporting a thick film of sludge and leaves.

"Wanna switch places with it?" Faith offered through gritted teeth.

"Hey, you offered to carry me," Buffy reminded quickly as she tightened her grip on the brunette. Throbbing pain in her ankle and permanent damage to her ego aside, this was nice. It was the perfect excuse to be close to Faith, and the blonde was enjoying every minute of it. "Think of it as weights training," she added amicably into Faith's ear.

"Oh believe me—" Faith's comeback was cut short as she took another step, her foot landing on a loose rock which slipped out from underneath her. Hands already occupied with bags she found herself falling forward, hitting the ground hard and beginning a rapid slide back the way they came. Releasing the bags her questing hands finally latched onto tree roots, stopping their descent. The pair lay there for a moment in silence, Buffy still clinging to Faith and the brunette still gripping the tree roots. Then the blonde started to chuckle. "You find this funny B?" Faith growled as she rolled over underneath the other girl, who was now alternating between giggles and small groans of pain as the effects of the extra impact on her ankle caught up with her.

Buffy could only nod, taking huge gulps of air as she struggled to quell the fits of laughter. At first Faith looked angry but soon she was smirking in amusement at the slayer above her. Finally Buffy's laughter died, her smile faltering slightly as she became aware of the closeness of their bodies and the lips that were just inches from her own. She shivered as Faith's hand grazed her hip lightly and she felt her face moving even closer to the brunette slayers.

"Buffy?" Faith whispered questioningly, her lips almost grazing the blondes as she spoke.

Buffy swallowed hard, the awkwardness of their current position managing to beat out the lust coursing through her. "You have mud face," she blurted weakly, her eyes focusing on a small streak of sludge on the brunette's cheek.

Faith stared blankly at her for a moment then seemed to snap out of a daze. Bringing up her hand she rubbed at her face, which only served to spread the mud around further. Her other hand slid up between them and pushed Buffy away so she could sit up. "We better motor."

_**Tbc?**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: **its short, and I'm posting it waaay later than planned. Yeah I'm sorry I've had a hectic few weeks of… sitting around playing xbox and ignoring my fics. My humblest apologies to anyone reading this. Oh and of course thanks to the spiffy reviewers.

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A bird landed lightly on a tree, fluttering its wings as it hopped across a low hanging branch, its bright eyes fixed on a line of ants wending their way across the ragged bark. There was a rustling from somewhere near it and it was off again like a shot, quickly swallowed up in the thick foliage of the rainforest. A bright ball of light popped out from between some leaves mere inches from where it had been, shining brightly through the descending dusk. A few moments later a stick protruded from the undergrowth and sunk down into the leaf litter with a crackling sound. A tousled blonde head poked out after it, peering around at the small clearing.

"This is probably a good place to stop," Buffy sighed tiredly as she stepped completely into the clearing, followed by Faith, who stared disdainfully at her surroundings before slinging her bag down and beginning to root through it. There was a fading graze on her chin, and her clothing sported a thick layer of mud caked down the front, both souvenirs from their fall. To complete the look she was wearing a tired scowl, which was partially hidden by the thick tendrils of hair which had fallen free from her ponytail.

Buffy opened her mouth to say something positive and encouraging, and then thought better of it. Wincing, she gingerly shifted, resting as much weight as she could on her good ankle without being too obvious about it. Faith had offered to carry her again, but the blonde insisted that she was fine. After the almost kiss they'd had, she had been positive that extended periods of close contact weren't a good idea. Well for the moment anyway. The remainder of the trip had been spent in agonizing silence, the best part of which Buffy had spent trying to calm the part of her brain that was in full panic mode. It was less than a day into the expedition and already it was a disaster. Faith obviously didn't want to be there and neither did she. In her opinion things couldn't possibly get worse, but she couldn't imagine them getting any better either.

Trying to push her worries aside the blonde leant against her stick, taking a moment to properly admire the scenery. The clearing was small, but it was bordered on one side by a thin strip of river, which babbled softly through a maze of smooth, moss capped rocks, which shone gently as their glowing guide listed impatiently back and forth at the edge of the clearing. "Wow," she breathed.

"Like what you see B?"

Buffy turned her attention back to Faith and felt herself gasp. The brunette's wife beater was discarded on the ground next to her, leaving her upper body clad only in a plain black bra. "I-I wasn't…" she stammered, eyes still glued to Faith who, was eyeing her with a smirk on her face, one eyebrow quirked. "I was admiring the scenery!" The blonde blurted desperately and then reddened considerably as Faiths smirk became a fully fledged grin of amusement. That hadn't sounded quite so much like a bad pick up line in her head.

"Call it what you want," the dark slayer teased as she dug through her bag, retrieving an identical, yet clean wife beater and pulling it on. Then she reached for the hem of her pants and Buffy only just swallowed a whimper as she quickly turned away, squeezing her eyes shut for good measure.

Faith chuckled. "B you gotta relax, I've got nothing you haven't seen before right?"

"Right!" Buffy said assertively, but continued her thorough examination of the backs of her eyelids all the same. "I mean we're both girls a-and have the same girl parts—"

"No," Faith cut in, "I mean… you've seen me."

"Wh..what? I-I… oh…" Buffy trailed off. They'd switched bodies after Faith woke up from her coma. How could she have forgotten that? Then realization hit. "Oh! No… No!"

"Really?" Faith sounded genuinely surprised.

"No!" Buffy blurted, cringing as Faith made what sounded like an insulted noise and then started to ramble nervously. "Well I mean it's not like I didn't want to look, I-I mean I…" she trailed off, silently cursing herself. Somewhere in heaven, Freud was laughing.

"Where the hell is the tent?" Faith suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Buffy risked a glance behind her, and then turned around to face Faith, who was now thankfully, fully clothed.

"The tent," the brunette repeated as she began to rifle through her bag, tossing things out onto the ground as she dug deeper.

"Relax I've got it," Buffy reassured before her companion could tip everything in her pack out onto the dirt. Taking off her bag she dumped it on the ground, tipping it on its side and reaching for… nothing. The bulky nylon tent bag which had been fastened to the outside of her pack was gone. Biting her lip she lifted up a torn strap, her wide green eyes fixing on a pair of stormy brown ones. "I-I've heard that sleeping under the stars can be great."


End file.
